Look After You
by GraceTakeARisk
Summary: Her husband wants her to choose; their life together or the twisted, dangerous world of her job? As her world falls apart, can he be the one to put the pieces back together? Elizabeth Keen must choose between the man she thought she knew and the world that has shown her the endless possibilities that the Concierge of Crime has to offer. RedxLizzie
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! Hope everyone is well! Here's my first, of hopefully many, "The Blacklist fanfictions!**

**Disclaimer: unfortunately I do not own The Blacklist and this fanfiction is purely for entertainment proposes. **

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**Chapter One**

Elizabeth Keen sat staring at the case file in front of her, having read the same sentence about twenty times. Sighing she shut it and closed her eyes in frustration. It had been nearly a month and yet she still couldn't believe it.

"Keen," came the curt yet soft voice of her colleague.

"Yeah?" She replied opening her eyes to see the suit clad form of Agent Ressler standing in the doorway; she could tell by the fact that he was wearing his FBI jacket that they were going somewhere.

"Get your jacket, Cooper wants us to check something out," he informed her, remaining where he was while she collected her FBI jacket and walked over to follow him.

The pair climbed into the black SUV and Ressler started the engine; the sat in silence until they reached the highway when he nervously cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Everything okay Keen?" He asked, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the road ahead while she impersonated a goldfish for a moment.

"Yes," she began before he gave her a 'yeah right' look, "It's just been strained with Tom."

"Why?" The question had left his lips before it had registered in his brain and he went to apologise before she replied.

"He wants us to move," she stated simply.

"And you don't want to?"

"He's asking me to give it all up. To just walk away from my career, my home and from R-" she quickly stopped before she said too much, unfortunately Ressler was in fact an excellent Agent and hadn't missed her slip up.

"We will find him," Ressler murmured.

"We better," she said simply, "He still works for us."

"Everything else aside would you move?" Ressler asked softly, trying to get to the bottom of the puzzle that had been troubling his partner since they had brought Tom in for questioning all those months ago.

"I don't know," she admitted, "I just don't feel like the person he wants me to be."

"And you think Reddington has the answers?"

"Doesn't he always?" Liz laughed slightly and to her surprise so did Ressler.

The SUV came to a gentle stop outside of a house with a perfectly kept front lawn and a highly polished door. They began to walk up to the door when Liz shivered and caught hold of Ressler's arm, he shot her a questioning look but she motioned for him to be quiet. Liz scanned the surrounding area, the feeling that they were being watched still gripping her. As she surveyed the area her eyes trained in on a house across the street, she saw the curtain move and shaking it off she began to move towards their original target.

"I felt like we were being watched," Liz whispered to Ressler who simply nodded and knocked on the door.

Raymond Reddington smiled as he hung up with his bodyguard, Dembe, whom he had sent to check upon how "his future" was progressing in her hunt of the bread crumbs.

"That's my Lizzie," he murmured as he adjusted his hat before standing up and reaching for his phone once more, "Dembe," there was a pause, "I do believe it's time to go home."

Less than three hours later Red was climbing onto the private plane where Dembe awaited. Sighing contentedly he sat down and took a sip of the drink beside him.

"Mr Reddington," Dembe addressed his boss.

"Yes Dembe?" Red replied in his silky voice.

"Are you sure it is safe for you to return?"

"When am I ever truly safe Dembe," Red smiled, "I've been away for far too long. She needs me."

Liz got back into the car beside Ressler feeling frustrated. They were so close but the riddles just continued to the point of insanity.

"It's gonna be alright," Ressler said gruffly as he started the engine.

"How can we possibly hope to catch Number 53 without him?"

"By playing the game we've been trained to play," Ressler sighed.

"We're playing a completely different game now," Liz murmured and Ressler knew it was true.

"Do you want me to drop you back to your place?" he asked as they rejoined the highway.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Ressler smiled slightly, "it's been a long week."

"Do you wanna get something to eat first?" She asked, "Tom will still be out god knows where and I can't be bothered cooking."

"Sure," he replied surprising then both, "I'm starving."

They left their FBI jackets stashed in the car before walking into the busy diner amidst the buzz of conversation and music. The pair were directed to a booth by the window and quickly ordered drinks before scanning the menu.

"How are things with you?" Liz asked him, realising once again that she knew virtually nothing about him.

"Same as always," he sighed slightly, "work, sleep, eat."

"You should relax a little," she smiled slightly.

"Could say the same thing to you," he said, his voice shaking with a chuckle.

"True," she admitted, "It's all been a little crazy recently."

"That it has," Ressler agreed taking a sip of his drink.

They talked about nothing in particular, careful to not discuss work due to their surroundings but also being careful not to pry into personal matters.

Liz walked into the house she shared with Tom just after eleven thirty and saw the light in the living room still on.

"Liz?" He called, standing up and moving into the hallway where she stood.

"I'm tired, I'm gonna head to bed," she replied, heading towards the stairs.

"No," Tom caught her arm, "where have you been?"

"At work," she answered, tugging trying to free her arm from his grip.

"Until eleven thirty?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Liz we can't keep doing this."

"You know I'm not in control of my hours."

"We need to just go."

"I can't just leave my job Tom."

"Yes you can."

"No, I'm in the middle of something," she snapped, moving past him but he slammed his fist into the wall in frustration.

"You're always in the middle of something!" He shouted, "You're always busy with work and you're always getting picked up by that arrogant prick!"

"What!?" Liz demanded, looking at him in disbelief.

"You're always with him!"

"He's my partner!"

Ressler was still sitting in the SUV outside Liz's house because his phone had just rung. As he ended the call he sighed, hating that he would have to deprive his partner of some time at home. As he got out of the car and headed up the steps to her door he heard the sound of raised voices and the thud of a hand off the wall.

"Hello?" Tom said sighing as he opened the door and a scowl immediately darkened his features as his eyes landed upon the perfectly styled hair of Agent Ressler, "Can I help you?"

"I need to speak to Agent Keen," Ressler snapped, the dislike evident on his face.

"My wife has just gone to bed," Tom said angrily as Liz stormed over to the door upon recognising Ressler's voice.

"Oh Tom do shut up," she snapped, grabbing the door and opening it properly, "What's wrong Ressler?"

"We've got a situation," he said simply, his eyes flicking at Tom before returning to her, "We need to go."

"Alright," Liz nodded, "Come in while a grab a couple of things."

"Thanks," he replied, following her into the living room while she collected her phone, gun and badge before hurrying upstairs to pack a change of clothes.

"Let's go," Liz said simply as they moved towards the door.

"That's it?" Tom asked incredulously, "He turns up in the middle of the night and announces, with no details, that you need to go and you just do?"

"Yes." Liz said simply, "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Don't bother," Tom spat angrily.

"Fine," she snapped before following Ressler out the door and slamming it behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Dembe drove quickly through the dark streets, every now and then he could see Red's face basked in an orange glow in the rear view mirror. His couldn't help but notice that his boss looked both anxious and excited; an express he usually had masked beneath a cold demeanour.

Red glanced at his watch impatiently, he wanted to be at the destination and all he could think about was how it would play out. He mentally prepared himself for the onslaught of questions and as the car turned into the final part of the journey he put his mask back on, ensuring that no one, not even her, would be able to see what was going on in his head.

"What's going on?" Liz asked Ressler as they made their way into the elevator at the Post Office.

"Cooper says there's an update," he murmured, "That's it."

"And it couldn't wait?"

"I'm sorry for dragging you away," he said softly.

"You were rescuing me," she replied sadly, "I'm done."

"With?"

"Everything," she sighed, "I don't know what to do."

"Keen, Ressler," Cooper called the second the doors opened, they quickly followed him into his office where he shut the door and told them to sit down.

"Sir?" Ressler asked uncertainly.

"There's been a development," Cooper informed them.

"On Reddington's whereabouts?" Ressler questioned, his gaze falling on Liz for a heartbeat.

"Yes and no," Cooper explained, "We've received intelligence that he was in New York."

"But I'm guessing he's not there now," Liz informed them both and Cooper nodded.

"Our sources have informed us that he was only briefly spotted and that it may not even have been him," Cooper said.

"So what do we do?" Ressler asked, clearly trying to figure out why they had been summoned so late.

"We need to find him," Cooper said simply, "Our superiors are getting more and more anxious."

"He's still in New York," Liz stated, "He wanted us to see him."

"What do you mean?"

"Reddington wants us to go running to him," Liz sighed, "We should play his game for now."

"I'm with Keen," Ressler nodded, "If he didn't wanna be found we wouldn't have found him."

"And this is why you two were called in," Cooper almost smiled, "Pack and be on the next flight."

"Yes Sir," the pair stood up and headed out back towards the elevator.

"Do you want me to drive you back to your place to grab some stuff?" Ressler asked as the elevator doors shut behind them.

"No," Liz shook her head, "I've enough to last tomorrow and I'll buy something while we're out there."

"Ok."

"We can go back via yours to get your bag," Liz said as the elevator stopped and they exited it.

Reddington sighed contentedly as Dembe told him the news that the FBI, for once he might add, were actually doing their jobs right. A rare smile graced his features causing his blue eyes to sparkle; a look that Dembe had only seen on his boss once before and both times it had been brought about by her.

"Dembe, be sure to cancel my engagements tomorrow evening," Red instructed his bodyguard who nodded before leaving the room.

Liz watched the lights of New York unfold beneath her like a sea of candles, the golden glow mesmerising her so much so that she didn't hear the caption announce that they would be landing in fifteen minutes or Ressler grumbling about the woman beside him who kept snoring. As she stared out of the window the face of the man who had haunted and graced her dreams and nightmares for the last month filled the view. The piecing, cold but fiery warm eyes, the tightlipped smile and the hat, how could she have forgotten the hat. Sighing she closed her eyes to avoid the tears and memories of the last few months.

"We'll be at the hotel in a few minutes," Ressler informed her as they sat in the back of a yellow taxi that hurtled, weaved and blasted it's horn through the still bustling streets of New York City. Liz gazed in awe at the skyscrapers, lights and amount of people still about at four am.

"I'm warning you now Ressler," Liz muttered, "I'm having a lie in."

"I'll give you to nine," he replied, a slight smile betraying his usual mask.

"So generous," she replied sarcastically as the taxi halted outside the hotel.

"Two reservations in the name of Smith," Ressler informed the receptionist, 'Smith' was the surname that the FBI used for all hotel bookings.

"Twenty first floor," the receptionist replied with a smile as she handed him the two sets of keys.

"Thanks," he answered, collecting them and returning to Liz.

Had she not been so tired, Liz could have stared out of the floor to ceiling window all day. But yawning her feet seemed to have a mind of their own as she soon found herself lying horizontal with her hazy gaze still on the window.

Ressler lay looking at the ceiling in the next room, hoping that he could make Cooper proud and find the "Concierge of Crime" before their superiors started firing people.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The room was filled with a warm, golden light that highlighted the luxurious location and decor of the hotel. Liz stretched and rolled over to admire the view and stared at her watch in disbelief as it read ten o'clock and Ressler hadn't yet battered down the door.

Yawning slightly she got up and went into the bathroom, turning the powerful shower on to remove the last traces of sleep. The smell of the vanilla shampoo soon filled the room and Liz emerged feeling refreshed and awake.

"Morning," she greeted Ressler as she spotted him in the restaurant.

"Morning," he replied, putting his phone down and looking across the table at her.

"Any plans today?" she asked him, murmuring a thanks to the waitress who set a mug of coffee down in front of her.

"I'm meeting a contact across town," he murmured, "Cooper wants you to try and lure him out."

"Great," she murmured sarcastically, "How do I do that?"

"There's a charity benefit tonight," Ressler informed her, "It's guaranteed that he'll be there and Cooper wants us to be there."

"So I'm going shopping today then," she murmured, "Have you got a tux?"

"Yes," Ressler smiled slightly at her look, "Not all of us get up in the afternoon you know."

Liz walked around New York simply admiring the city for an hour or so before finally deciding it was time to get her outfit sorted. She walked into the first appropriate shop she spotted and smiled as the shop assistants flocked towards her upon hearing what the occasion was.

"It's the most talked about event of the winter," one of the ladies informed her knowingly.

"Everyone who's anyone will be there," another smiled.

Liz tried on several dresses before settling for a low-cut, backless black dress that hugged her figure perfectly. If she was going to lure Red out of hiding she'd need to attract attention.

"No one will be able to take their eyes off you," the ladies informed her as they stood in awe as she scrutinised the dress in the mirror.

"It's not too much?" She asked, continuing her examination.

"It's perfect," they exclaimed and she couldn't help but smile.

Ressler knocked on the door of her hotel room shortly after seven thirty that evening and she called for him to come in; they'd agreed to have a copy of each other's room keys in case of emergency.

She heard the click of the lock and the thud of the door closing before she turned around and saw him standing there open mouthed.

"Good evening," she greeted, taking in the tux that clung to his muscular form.

"Evening," he replied, his eyes taking in her appearance, "Nice dress."

"Thanks," she laughed slightly, "Ready to go?"

The eyes of everyone in the lobby followed them as they exited the hotel and climbed into the black car that awaited them. The journey to the venue was swift and Liz saw a red carpet awaiting them.

"Ready to go Lucy?" Ressler asked her; for the evening she was Lucy Reid, a successful humanitarian located in Washington.

"Ready when you are Thomas," she replied; for the evening he was Thomas Hughes, her boyfriend of two years and a fellow humanitarian.

Ressler climbed out of the car and quickly strode around to open her door, the cameras clicked furiously as the attractive new couple walked towards the entrance to the hotel. Liz had her hand on the crook of Ressler's elbow as he directed her into the building amid the other guests.

Wearing a tailored tuxedo and his signature sunglasses Reddington entered the hotel among the other guests. He had told Dembe to remain close but not too close and he could still sense his bodyguard's presence to his left. The benefit was in full swing with couples dancing and groups talking over champagne left, right and centre. Groaning inwardly he knew that it would not be easy to find his target.

He moved effortlessly through the crowds of people, ignoring the hungry gazes of several females as he headed towards the bar.

"Let's dance," Ressler said quietly to her, "Easier to see the room."

"Alright," Liz accepted his hand and followed him onto the dance floor. She had to admit that he was a good dancer, and it did give her a chance to scan the room for the reason of their visit.

Standing on the balcony on the top floor Liz began to wonder where Ressler had disappeared too. It was then that she felt someone looking at her. She turned to see the tall figure standing in the shadows, the familiar mask on his face and suddenly he was gone. So quickly that Liz thought that she had imagined him. Sighing she turned back to look at the famous skyline before her and couldn't help but wish that it hadn't just been her imagination.

"Mind if I join you?" A voice to her left asked softly, the voice caused her to freeze and spin around to face it. The man smiled a tightlipped smile, and she caught the brief look of uncertainly in the blue eyes before the mask was back.

"Reddington," she whispered and saw him stiffen slightly at her formality, "We've been looking for you for weeks."

"I told you I would be gone for a short time," he reminded her, taking a step towards her.

"You also said you would be there if I needed you," she muttered, turning away from him, "You know that we're going to have to take you in."

"I do," he nodded and smiled slightly, "You look beautiful Lizzie."

"Red-" she whispered, trying to control the wave of emotions that had suddenly swept over her.

"One dance before I return to the box?" He asked, his eyes twinkling and she couldn't help but smile slightly and nod.

The pair made their way back inside where a new song was just beginning, Red offered her his hand and she took it placing the other on his shoulder while he took her waist gently. Red made Ressler's dancing look like a spider on roller skates in comparison.

Ressler finally managed to extract himself from hearing the life story of a young woman to see Liz dancing with someone. Part of him knew who it was immediately but the other part of him couldn't believe that the Concierge of Crime would give himself up so easily. He watched as the pair maintained such fierce eye contact that it was like they were having a conversation that only they would understand.

Red's hand was warm as it gently held hers and she couldn't help but lean closer to him. He confused and infuriated her to no end but like he'd told her, it was no fun without him. And as much as she hated to admit it, she had missed him. Red gently squeezed her hand as a signal that he understood the thoughts fighting in her head. Sometimes she swore he could read minds, and right on que he smiled knowingly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews, follows and favourites! I really appreciate it! Without further delay here's Chapter Four!**

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**Chapter Four **

Liz and Red moved effortlessly around the room, completely oblivious to the surrounding people or the watchful gaze of Ressler. Against his better judgement Ressler left a message with the concierge who had taken their jackets and told him to inform Liz that he would see her back at their hotel later.

"That dress suits you," Red murmured, his lips almost touching her ear and she shivered involuntarily.

"Don't," she muttered, looking past his shoulder to avoid his look.

"Don't what?" His gaze was back on her and she felt his eyes searching her face.

"Act like you give a damn," she said sourly, glaring up into his fiery eyes; she saw the momentary hurt there before the mask was back on.

"Lizzie," he murmured softly.

"Just leave it Red," she muttered, "I have to go, Ressler will be waiting." With that she broke free of his hold just as the song ended and hurried into the crowd, hoping that he wouldn't follow.

"Mam," the concierge said as he handed her the jacket, "Master Hughes asked me to inform you that he would meet you back at the hotel."

"Thank you," she replied, giving him a small smile before heading out into the cold air. She had barely taken two steps into the night air when she felt a hand on her arm. "Go away."

"Lizzie," the man stood in front of her, his eyes pleading.

"What do you want Reddington?" She sighed and saw him flinch at her formality.

"How can you possibly think I don't care?" He demanded, his usually calm persona forgotten as he stood furious before her.

"You left."

"To protect you."

"No to protect you Red," she almost shouted, "You always just protect you!"

"If only you knew," he whispered, "I see Donald has gone, I'll have Dembe drive you back to your hotel."

"I'll get a taxi," she snapped, before sighing as Dembe appeared beside her, "I wish you would just tell me the truth."

"One day," Red whispered as her offered his arm and sighing inwardly she accepted it and let him lead her towards the car that awaited. She got into the backseat and he followed, she had to fight he urge to rest her head on his shoulder as Dembe drove them back to the hotel.

"You know you have to come back to DC with us?" She whispered, not meeting his eyes and she merely heard him chuckle.

"I do," he sighed, "Meet me for breakfast tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Why not?" He countered, a smirk gracing his features while thoughts such as; I'm married, you're a criminal, I work for the FBI, it would be inappropriate, I want to too much and damn that smirk crossed her mind. It confused her as to when exactly she had begun to see the attractive traits of him and she constantly fought them.

"What time?" She asked, resigned to the fact that she would have to spend more time alone with him.

"I'll pick you up at eight," he smiled as they pulled up outside her hotel and he got out swiftly to help her out, "Goodnight Lizzie, sweet dreams."

"Goodnight Red," she smiled slightly and suddenly found herself wrapping her arms around him, "I'm glad you're back," she whispered against his stubbly cheek and she felt him wrap his arms tightly around her, his warm hair tickling her ear.

"So am I," he murmured, and she felt his chest vibrate.

Liz hurried up to her room, unaware that Ressler had been in the bar at the hotel and had witnessed the exchange with unsurprised interest. Ressler had always had his suspicious, ever since Reddington had handed himself in and stated that he would only speak to Elizabeth Keen. Yet, it didn't bother him as much as he would have expected. Instead he found that he had facilitated them spending some time together, shaking his head he finished the rest of his drink in a single gulp and headed upstairs to his room.

Red practically skipped into his hotel suite causing Dembe to have to suppress a laugh as he witnessed his boss dancing around the suite, giddy from exposure to Elizabeth Keen.

He fell asleep that night dreaming of her face, her smell, the feel of her body against his. It was a soft and happy sleep like that he had not witnessed in many years.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you all so much for the support! I hope you are enjoying this fanfic as much as I am loving writing it! **

**Nearly Christmas!**

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**Chapter Five**

Beep. Beep. Beep. Liz groaned as she stretched across to the nightstand, rampaging to find her flashing phone. After a few seconds of aimless searching she located the blasted thing and saw that it was seven am. Sighing she set the phone back down and stretched before swinging her legs out of the warm bed and into the rug.

She showered, dressed in black jeans with a light blue top and jacket and did her hair before heading downstairs at a quarter to eight.

"Morning," Ressler said as she spotted him and strode over to where he was sitting, checking emails on his phone.

"Morning," she replied sitting down opposite him, "I'm going out for a bit."

"Bring him in," he said simply as they shared a knowing look.

"He'll come," Liz stated certainly as she spotted the black car pull up outside and saw the fedora wearing figure moving towards the hotel entrance.

"Make sure he does," Ressler murmured softly, "Cooper wants us back tomorrow."

"I'm surprised he's given us this long," she laughed slightly and he chuckled before turning slightly to look at the figure now standing beside him.

"Donald," Reddington greeted, "It's really been far too long."

"We'll be seeing plenty of each other," Ressler replied evenly, "I'll leave you two to it."

"Thank you Donald," Reddington smiled, offering his hand to Liz who rolled her eyes slightly and accepted it hesitantly.

"You look lovely Lizzie," Red murmured as they drove through the bustling streets towards the destination he had chosen.

"We're leaving for Washington tonight," Liz replied, giving him a firm look.

"Are we indeed?" His eyes sparkled, challenging yet teasing.

"Yes," she stated, turning to look out of the window as her emotions fought within her. She attempted to organise her thoughts as they travelled; she had missed him, she was angry at him for leaving, he made things more complicated, he never told her the whole truth. She had missed him. She was glad he was here. She was upset that he had simply disappeared.

"What's on your mind Lizzie?" He asked softly, placing his hand on her knee to get her attention.

"Nothing," she muttered, shivering slightly at the contact and sighed as he fixed her with a 'I know you're lying so start talking now' look, "Everything is so complicated."

"It'll get better."

"How?"

"We're leaving for Washington tonight," he murmured, giving her a tightlipped smile as she stared at him.

"And I thought I was going to have to bribe you," she muttered sarcastically.

"Well now what did you have in mind?" He chuckled as she rolled her eyes.

Red stepped out of the car, placing his signature sunglasses on before opening her door and offering his hand which she accepted. Dembe held the door to the restaurant open for them before stationing himself at a table close enough to observe but with enough distance as to not intrude or overhear.

"Where have you been?" Liz asked him after they had ordered.

"Oh here and there," he said vaguely, waving his hand slightly.

"I feel so enlightened," she said sarcastically.

"So demanding," he smirked, "Here, Cuba, Italy, Japan, as I said. Here and there."

"Why?"

"Business."

"Why didn't you just tell us?"

"I still don't know who is the leak," he said simply, lowering his voice, "I had to be sure that we wouldn't have a repeat of the...incident."

"You claim that I can trust you," she began and he nodded and opened his mouth to say something but she continued, "Then you should have trusted me to know that you were ok."

"Lizzie," he murmured, "I don't want you endanger you anymore than I am already doing."

"What?"

"I came out of the box for you," he said simply, "Anslo noticed."

"Red-" he shook his head and continued.

"That means that they know I care about something."

"And they use that to get to you," she concluded.

"Exactly," he sighed, "I'm sorry Lizzie."

"I signed up for it," she admitted.

"Not for this," he said sadly and without thinking she placed her hand over his on the table and squeezed it gently.

"Bizarrely I don't blame you."

Tom had spent the last couple of days going over every detail he could think of that would explain why Liz was so quick to drop everything for her job. The only conclusion was that it offered her something that he couldn't. The image of Agent Ressler's smug face swam in his mind and infuriated him so much that he had smashed a lamp and several mugs.

He paced around the house and tried to think of a more logical explanation than that his wife was cheating on him. It was true that things had been strained and tense since his arrest but if he was truly honest with himself the distance had began the day that she started her new job.

Tom knew that she couldn't tell him the details, but he wanted to know something of her world. He wanted to understand why she dropped everything to go without knowing where she was going, why she was always late and frequently covered in flecks of blood and why oh why was she not prepared to put their relationship first.

He sat down sadly and looked at the photos of them, happy and smiling, on the walls before standing up and angrily punching one consequently shattering the glass.

Liz and Red sat quietly in the back of the car as Dembe drove them swiftly to the airport while Ressler sat in the passenger seat, his jaw set and body language expressing his unease.

"Oh Donald do relax!" Red exclaimed after a muscle in Ressler's temple started to pulse and Liz tried not to laugh at the look of contempt on her partner's face.

"Two minutes Mr Reddington," Dembe informed him as they turned towards the airport and Liz caught sight of Red's private plane.

"It does the job," Red murmured, seeing her facial expression and she rolled her eyes.

The four of them got out of the car right beside the plane and Red collected his and Liz's bags before ascending the steps to the cabin with Dembe bringing up the rear behind Ressler.

"Would you like a drink Donald?" Red asked him, his eyes teasing the uptight agent.

"Don't drink on the job," Ressler said uniformly as he watched Red sit down in his favourite armchair by the window indicating that Liz sit in the one beside him. Dembe was busy preparing Red's drink and Ressler sat uncomfortably in a chair on the opposite side of the cabin.

"Can I get you anything Lizzie?" Red asked, smiling as she sat beside him and checked her phone; she had eleven new voice mails from Tom. "How are things with Tom?"

"A glass of water please," she answered his first question and ignored the second giving him a piercing look to which he simply nodded.

Liz slumped down in her chair, using her jacket as a blanket but it proved to be a rubbish one as it only covered one shoulder properly. Red smiled softly to himself and placed his larger, and heavier, jacket over her and she mumbled a thanks before moving closer to him. Yawning sleepily she placed her head on his shoulder and found her hands enclosing one of his. He sighed contentedly and she felt his relax and squeeze her hand slightly.

Ressler turned slightly and saw Keen and Reddington comfortably embracing, against all of his better judgement he made a decision at that point to not say anything to her or Cooper about what he saw as their complicated relationship. Whatever was going on meant that Reddington was willing to cooperate and that made his job a lot easier. Plus, he had encountered Keen's ass of a husband and somehow felt grateful that his partner had someone else that she could lean on. Shaking his head he turned again and made momentarily eye contact with Dembe; a silent message was passed between the two, 'he better not hurt her' and Dembe's reply of 'she better not hurt him'.

Ressler closed his eyes trying to comprehend quite how bizarre the whole situation was. Dembe remained alert, his mind calm as he glanced at his employer who looked more peaceful than he could ever remember seeing him. He allowed himself a second to be happy for Mr Reddington before switching his emotions off again and returning to his vigil.


End file.
